A man who apparently had been shot was found dead today, Sept. 13, in a burning SUV on a street in the Mount Washington area of Los Angeles, police said.

The grisly discovery was made just before 2 a.m. by firefighters who extinguished the fire in the 4800 block of Marmion Way, according to Sgt. Wayne Guillary of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Northeast Station.

The body was found in the driver’s seat, and the victim apparently had been shot, LAPD spokesman Richard French said. Authorities withheld his name, pending notification of his relatives.

About 20 minutes before the fire was reported, gunshots had been heard in the general area, but it was unclear if they were related to the death, French said. No arrests were reported.

LAPD Detective Jose Carrillo told ABC7 that removing the body was made difficult because of its position inside the SUV and because of the extensive fire damage to the vehicle.

“All we know is that we believe it is definitely a male,” Carrillo said. “Nationality, race, or age is unknown.”

Channel 7 reported that the vehicle was registered to a person who lived in the area. Anyone with information on the crime was urged to call (877) LAPD-247.